


Excuse me, is this a chicken burger?

by Anchan (Anchan_thevolleyballplayer)



Series: Kpop Writers Events [5]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Food Service, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Chicken burger as a plot device, Drunk Shenanigans, Fast Food, M/M, Pre-Slash, Strangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchan_thevolleyballplayer/pseuds/Anchan
Summary: He doesn’t mean to stumble — but the sight he’s met when his gaze falls upon the fourth customer leaves him speechless.“Uh, we kindly ask you to quiet down.”
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Series: Kpop Writers Events [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783111
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Excuse me, is this a chicken burger?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MVforVictory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVforVictory/gifts).



> Here ya go!
> 
> Disclaimer: the representation of a vegan character/mindset might be inaccurate. If you think that will trigger you, read at your own responsibility.

Minho scrunches his nose, feeling his head throb violently — he’s having a day, working since the late afternoon until the dead of night. It stopped being even remotely fun hours ago. 

But that would have been okay, having Mark and BamBam taking the cashier positions and letting him chill in the back. It’s not like anyone is going to check up on him at this hour — he could as well be sleeping on the floor and no one would wake him up until Sana comes to open the morning shift. 

Oh, why _can’t_ he sleep on the floor and let Sana wake him up for the morning shift? 

“Please do something about the noisy table by the time I’m gone,” the door swings open, revealing BamBam. The older shrugs out of his uniform and reaches for his coat, ready to head home. “I am not dealing with them at this goddamn hour.”

Minho faintly recalls passing a table of laughing students earlier that night, when he was heading from the toilet, but the noise doesn’t transfer into the staff room. 

“W-what am I supposed to tell them?” he stutters out, hoping to catch BamBam before the older man disappears in the darkness outside.

BamBam just shrugs in response. “They’re clearly drunk, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like they’ll remember in the morning.”

Even as the older one disappears, it takes Minho a while to collect himself. He doesn’t want to trade the comforting silence for some annoying customers. 

Then again, that’s a part of his job description.

He can already see the ruckus happening at their table. A couple of students are laughing their butts off at whatever nonsense they’re discussing. Nothing new, teenagers are always wild. 

This is a memorized chore by now, though. 

“Excuse me,” he bows as he approaches, watching as the young men perk up one by one. “On the behalf of the store…” 

He doesn’t mean to stumble — but the sight he’s met when his gaze falls upon the fourth customer leaves him speechless. Streaks of tears are running down his face as he stuffs himself with his smoothie. 

“Uh, we kindly ask you to quiet down.”

“We’re very sorry, we’ll keep it down,” one of the other men apologises. Minho barely registers his response, eyes trained on the blonde mess sitting by his left. 

Just like the rest of his sitting mates, the man keeps his eyes trained on Minho, but the older doubts he actually _sees_ anything through the tears. 

“Are you, like, okay?” 

“Is this— is this a chicken burger?” 

“Indeed,” he confirms hesitantly. What does the burger have with— food poisoning? food related trauma? allergies? 

“Why?” the man sniffles, looking hurt. “Why would you do that to the poor animal?”

“I’m only providing services, not advocating for chicken rights.”

“Well, you should,” the man exclaims, pouting. “Did you know chickens can _dream_ like humans? The poor animals probably have nightmares about places like these.”

Minho looks around to see any sign of being pranked by the others, but they look mostly confused and embarrassed on their friend’s account.

“I’ll pass that to our manager, then,” he answers calmly, “should I get you a salad or something instead...?”

The man perks up at the offer, straightening his back and drying his cheeks with a sleeve — only to see new tears flow down his face.

“Y-yes please,” he nods enthusiastically. 

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait,” the man grabs his sleeve before he can leave, urgently tugging to get his attention. “I’m Jisung.”

“Minho,” he answers, unphased, and shakes off his weak grip to disappear into the kitchen, only to return with the requested meal. 

He brings an additional glass of water. “You’re drunk _and_ dehydrating yourself right now.”

“Thank you,” the man, Jisung, accepts with shaking fingers, “you’re so nice, why aren’t you advocating for the chicken rights, they would be so happy.”

Minho chuckles. “I have yet to be employed by one.”

Jisung frowns and takes a breath to respond but Minho presses the glass in his palms towards his mouth. “Drink.”

Jisung obeys everything he tells him, gulping down half the glass, and stares at him earnestly, waiting for the next order. 

“May I know what’s the issue?” he asks softly once Jisung’s tears die down. 

“Oh, it’s stupid,” he shakes his head, eyes flicking from his friends to Minho in panic before squeezing shut, “I just — I’ve always been upset about hurting animals when we kill them for meat, and recently I learned you can eat vegan food instead, so I became a vegan,” he hiccups, “but now I’ve gone and done it, ordered a chicken burger. I just hurt an innocent chicken just because I’m dumb.”

Minho stares at him softly. “I don’t know much about vegans, but you didn’t hurt anyone. The chicken was already dead, you just used what was offered to you.”

Jisung stays silent, thinking. 

“So you haven’t done anything wrong to the chickens. _And_ you have your stomach full. That sounds like a win-win to me?”

“That does make sense,” he admits. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Minho chuckles in disbelief. Late night shifts are _weird_ — that’s a given — but tonight is an exceptional one. 

“Now that you’ve sobered up, maybe get some rest, I can give you a box to go for the burger.” 

“N-no, thank you, but thank you,” Jisung shakes his head firmly. “I don’t want to eat it anymore.”

“Isn’t that hurting the chicken more?” his long haired friend asks from the opposite side of the table, to which another one slaps his arm. 

Jisung stares at them dumbly and Minho can already see the tears building up again. 

“I’ll get you the box, you’ll eat your burger at home,” he rushes out, and sends Jisung a small wink when the man snaps his bewildered eyes back. 

  
  
🐔

The next morning, Jisung comes back to apologize, explaining they were drunk and that he was utterly sorry for the embarrassment they probably caused. He fully expects the employee to ignore him and pretend he doesn’t exist — what he gets instead is a bunch of paper pressed into his hands the moment he steps towards the counter. _He hasn’t even finished his apology_ —

Minho simply shrugs him off. “Here, I found some organisations who are raising money to fight against pointless animal hunting. Refusing to eat an already served chicken won’t save the planet, but this might?”

Jisung stays speechless. Did the man just spend his free time looking for these _for Jisung_? “I— thank you so much, I’ll take a look,” he stumbles out, impressed and taken aback. 

Minho smiles sweetly in response, and he almost melts into the floor. 

“No problem,” he says,“you got me thinking, you do have a point, so I searched for these.”

“You’re really too nice to be real,” Jisung breathes out and then flushes when he realises what he just said. For a short moment, the atmosphere around them turns heavy, but with another smile lighting up Minho’s lips, the clouds of worry are gone. 

“You said that yesterday, too,” Minho chuckles. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, just forget it,” he feels blood rushing into his cheeks. God, he knows he’s embarrassing when he’s drunk, but he doesn’t have an excuse for _this._ He already made a fool of himself in front of the employee yesterday, why does fate want to humiliate him more? 

“No, it’s good. At least I think that’s a compliment?”

At least Minho doesn’t look uncomfortable. If anything — and if Jisung is _really_ bold — he seems endeared? Well, entertained at least, but it’s way better than being yet another annoying customer. 

“It is!” Jisung rushes to assure. “Uh, I guess it must be weird to get that from a rando.”

“I’ve seen you cry your eyes out, we’re over the ‘rando’ phase, I dare to say,” Minho replies, surprisingly unbothered. He’s began typing something into the register, smiling at the screen in not-so-well hidden amusement. 

“Well, that sounds like we’re on a higher level now, then,” Jisung clears his throat, and Minho’s eyes snap back towards him. 

The employee eyes him up before he answers. “Sounds like it, yeah.”

“Uh, then,” he scratches his nape, shyly, “should I thank you for yesterday with a cheesecake offer?”

Minho smirks, delighted. “Who am I to refuse?” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it?? the ending is sliightly different from what you remember (you probably don't) since I realised I messed up the POV and had to rewrite it. And yeah this took me like 2 months to publish... I figured it's either now or never


End file.
